Courtesy Fifth Taste Foods
Harvest Shreds' Barbacoa flavor in a fajita
A new plant-based protein will soon be available in St. Louis, one so unusual that it’s likely to be a game changer for vegetarians, flexitarians, and carnivores.
Courtesy Fifth Taste Foods
Harvest Shreds is the second line of products from Fifth Taste Foods, a local company founded by former General Mills marketing executive Mark Engel in 2019. The company's mission is “crafting craveable, healthy, plant-based eating for everyone.” The inaugural product, a chili-based condiment named oo’mämē (now available in four varieties), is a play on umami, the elusive, savory fifth taste that accentuates the other four: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. (Engel refers to umami as “the conductor in the orchestra.”)
Courtesy Fifth Taste Foods
Available at two dozen local specialty stores (as well as the three local locations of Whole Foods Market and coming in June to 220 locations of World Market), oo’mämē delivers different textures—crispy, crunchy, chewy—and multiple layers of flavor. The latter became the springboard for Harvest Shreds.
“The craveable condiment category is exploding,” Engel says. “The logical next step for us was to take our umami-based concept and bring it to the plant-based space, an area where texture and flavor have traditionally been lacking. Until now, ‘craveable’ and ‘plant-based’ haven’t often been used in the same sentence.”
The Back Story
Similar to other meat substitutes, Harvest Shreds is made using a non-GMO soy protein base, wheat gluten (for structure), egg whites, and spices, but that’s where the semblance ends. “Every ingredient has a name you can pronounce and there are no preservatives," Engel says.
Harvest Shreds is sold frozen but defrosts in less than an hour. The product flakes apart, cooks in a hot skillet in two to three minutes; it caramelizes just like a meat protein and has almost zero shrinkage. “Harvest Shreds will frond up and get crispy unlike other plant-based products,” Engel says. “And except for the Naked version, it comes perfectly seasoned. No additional doctoring is necessary."
Courtesy Fifth Taste Foods
The product looks, cooks, and tastes like meat, but there’s no mention of meat anywhere in the packaging, which is intentional. “We want to rival meat and give a meat-like experience without ever saying the word,” Engel says. “The three flavors—Mexican Barbacoa, Korean Bulgogi, and Texas BBQ—allude to meat. 'Shreds' alludes to meat. The verbiage and packaging evoke meat. We want to bring people there visually, without a specific reference to meat, because with only half a gram of saturated fat and 16 grams of protein per 6 ounces, it’s better for you than meat.
“But don’t get me wrong—I’m a flexitarian,” Engel adds. “My goal with Harvest Shreds is simply to provide a healthy alternative, even if it’s only on a Meatless Monday.” And since producing it requires less water, land, and agricultural products than meat, Harvest Shreds clicks the ‘sustainable’ box as well.
“There’s been a tectonic shift in the last six months,” Engel has observed, "from ‘I want something better for me’ to ‘I want something better for me and the planet.’ I’ve never had a chance to do something so good—for people and for the planet, and I’m really excited about that.
“I’m not a chemist or a scientist but rather a facilitator, a connector,” he continues. “Harvest Shreds combines art and science—as in the art of culinary and the science of meat. I was able to find experts in both areas, take some technology that exists today, and bring it together in a new and unique way.”
Harvest Shreds can be used in salads, bowls, lettuce wraps, tacos, fajitas, empanadas, stir fries, and sandwiches (such as a Philly “cheat” steak). The product is only limited by one’s creativity, Engel says. “Vegetarians have been surprised, and meat eaters, really surprised,” Engel says.
Courtesy Fifth Taste Foods
Bulgogi flavor used in a stir fry
Restaurants, Retail & A Look Ahead
"This can’t not be meat" has been a common response, including from a handful of local chefs who've tried Harvest Shreds and are developing menu items around it.
Nathan Wilson, executive chef at The Frisco Barroom in Webster Groves, says “It’s the only plant-based product I’ve tried that both flavor and texture remind me of meat,” he says. “I just took the Bulgogi version, sautéed it in sesame seed oil, and served it on a bun with cole slaw. It ate just like a pulled pork sandwich.”
Rick Lewis of Grace Meat + Three says he was a little skeptical at first, “as I’m personally not much for plant-based meat/protein products, but at Grace, we do like to be accommodating and understanding of different dietary needs, and after trying Harvest Shreds we thought it would be a good option for our vegetarian barbecue. We season the shreds with our guajillo Chili hog rub and lightly smoke it before dressing it with our two house-made barbecue sauces. Even as a carnivore, I enjoy the umami-rich flavor and texture.”
Chef Mike Johnson of Sugarfire Smoke House and Hi-Pointe Drive-In says, "I crave the stuff. I was full the day I first sampled it but couldn't stop eating it. It’s the most realistic product of its kind I’ve ever tried. It feels like meat with a crispy outer texture and juicy and tender all around."
Derek Deaver of Three Kings Pub has tried all four of the plant-based proteins and says "they are the best I have ever had. We are developing two tacos using Harvest Shreds for our new Mexican concept, Casa de Tres Reyes, which opens later this month.”
Rocket Bowls’ Eric Heckman says "in terms of taste, texture, versatility, and craveability, it is exactly what we’ve been looking for. We will be using their Bulgogi flavor with a touch of our own added marinade, along with their Naked [version] and adding our teriyaki and spicy sauces for bowls."
A local CSA sold out of Harvest Shreds three times. The local Whole Foods stores (which already sell oo’mämē) have shown interest in carrying it. “Right now, Harvest Shreds is an artisan product being produced on a small scale, hence the limited initial rollout,” Engel says. “We’ll probably apply for an Arch Grant, and the next step is to look for a strategic partner who can drive Harvest Shreds through their retail channels. After that, we have other forms of the product that can be launched. We are not marketing our vegan version at this time, but our recipes are ready to go.
"Marketing Harvest Shreds will be different from oo’mämē," he theorizes. “With oo’mämē, we had to educate the public and create demand. With Harvest Shreds, the demand for plant-based items is already well-established. Very little education is necessary.”
Harvest Shreds’ website will be live within the week. For additional details, contact Engel at mark@oomame.net.
